5. Durga Sob - President of Feminist Dalit Organization of Nepal; FEDO. Here after a protest conflict where she was defending rights of Dalit women. Photo Credit: Ekanitpur

1. Mira Rai – Ultra Marathon/Trail Runner
Mira seems to have come out of nowhere. And maybe that is closer to the truth than the public knows. In the short time since she ran her first race in Nepal in 2014, she has gone on to win the Sellaronda 56 km trail running race in Italy, and has more marathons planned for 2015-2016. In a sport where athletes train with high tech equipment, endurance training, and special diets, Mira has used her own natural genetics, the rugged terrain of her homeland, and her naturally healthy staple diet of Daal Bhat (lentils and rice) to give her an advantage over her competitors. (24 hour Daal Bhat power!). Follow Mira Rai’s running!

2. Jenny Caunt – Mountain Bike Guide, Social Entrepreneur
Jenny is a native of Australia who has called Nepal home for the last decade. She came to Nepal as an experienced international mountain biking guide, and quickly saw the opportunity to promote the local talent of Nepal’s natural athletes. She opened up a mountain biking tour company called Himalayan Single Track with Nepal’s national mountain biking champion, Santosh Rai. Today, Himalayan Single Track is the national leader in mountain biking activities in Nepal. Perhaps more importantly, under Jenny’s leadership, her biking team has collaborated with other mountain bikers to create the charitable Nepal Cyclists Ride to the Rescue (NCRR) which has help thousands of people since the earthquakes of April and May 2015 in Nepal.

3. Indira Ranamagar – Founder of Prisoners Assistance Nepal
Indira is known as Ama (mother) to many for good reason. Since she started her non-profit organization in 2000, she has provided a loving home, schooling and nurturing for children of prisoners. Indira is dedicated to preserving the human rights of Nepal’s prisoners, but especially to those who are mothers. In Nepal, when there is no where else for children to go, they stay in prison with their parent. Indira’s organization, PA Nepal, provides a home for these children, and makes sure they are able to visit their parent. Following Indira’s web site is bitter-sweet as she posts photos of the lovely babies (some newborns) that she brings home to PA Nepal. She is doing incredible work in a place where almost no health and human services are provided by the government.

4. Kelly Magar – Tourism Entrepreneur and Paddle Sports Promoter
Kelly is one of those humble entrepreneurs who quietly creates hurricane force activities behind the scenes. Originally from Canada, she is an example of streamlined organization and entrepreneurship in the ever changing Nepal tourism industry. Kelly is the driver behind one of Nepal tourism’s most successful companies, Paddle Nepal. With her husband, Nepal kayaking champion, Nim Magar, they have developed a world class outdoor adventure company that specializes in rafting and kayaking. In addition to this, she is instrumental in organizing the annual Himalayan White Water Festival with Nepal Kayak Club each year. She also organized one of the largest grassroots networks of businesses to respond to the Nepal earthquakes in April and May 2015, which eventually became an organization called Centre Point Relief . In an age of selfies, it is hard to find Kelly in front of the camera taking credit for what she does, however, she is a true trailblazer who leads by example, and has brought much needed inspiration to others in the Nepal tourism industry.

5. Durga Sob – Founder of Feminist Dalit Organization of Nepal; FEDO
Durga works relentlessly for the rights of the most subjugated and marginalized people of Nepal – Dalit women. The women of the Dalit (sometimes called “untouchable”) castes are the most vulnerable in the nation. They are rights are often overlooked, and they are the frequent victims of abuse. This is also the most likely group of women and girls to be in danger of trafficking. Over the past 15 years, Durga has fought to give a voice to these women. She has been instrumental in establishing a presence of Dalit women leaders in the government through her work with FEDO. She leads protests against human rights violations of Dalits, and she tireless divides her time between Kathmandu, and the far reaching villages of the people she serves. Durga stands as our super-hero trailblazer for giving a voice to those softest voices in Nepal. On this Women’s Day, we should all celebrate great, selfless leaders like Durga Sob.